record

Thesis Info

LABS ID
00803
Thesis Title
A INTERFACE NA E-HEALTH. Proposta de princípios de design para a credibilidade e a confiança.
Author
Andreia Pinto de Sousa
2nd Author
3rd Author
Degree
PHD
Year
2017
Number of Pages
398
University
Universidade de Aveiro e Universidade do Porto
Thesis Supervisor
Ana Margarida Pisco Almeida
Supervisor e-mail
marga AT ua.pt
Other Supervisor(s)
Language(s) of Thesis
Portuguese
Department / Discipline
Departamento de Comunicação e Arte
Copyright Ownership
Languages Familiar to Author
Portuguese, English
URL where full thesis can be found
Keywords
Interface, Human-Computer Interaction, Design Principles, Trust, Credibility, e-Health
Abstract: 200-500 words
The Internet has proved to be one of the most important sources of health information, and has been recognized as a key player in decision-making and health education processes. This scenario reveals the relevance of deepening knowledge around the processes that underlie the mechanisms of information search and decision making, namely with regard to the processes of credibility and trust that are mediated by the Interface. In this new paradigm, the Interface assumes a primordial role considering how information conveyed by digital means is nowadays accessed and consumed. Although the large number of studies on the credibility of information, some show that the credibility and trustworthiness of a website goes beyond the quality of the information and reputation of its institutions and organizations (Karimov, Brussel, Brengman, & Hove, 2011; Robins & Holmes, 2008; Elizabeth Sillence, Hardy, & Briggs, 2013). In 2008, Robins et al., showed that the average time to respond with a judgment about the credibility of a website is 2.30 seconds, concluding that the Interface has a crucial impact in this process. The purpose of this study is to deepen knowledge about the influence of the Interface in the processes of credibility and trust, the habits of sharing, communication and consumption of health information and to identify principles of Interface design for each of its dimensions. A literature review was conducted on the concepts of trust and credibility associated with digital platforms and on the role of the Interface in online processes of credibility and trust. As results we propose an Interface structure of five dimensions (Visual, Information Architecture, Interaction, Social Presence and User Experience) for which we related a set of design principles that were later validated by experts through the Delphi method. A Survey, Eye Tracking sessions and Think Aloud protocol were used to evaluate health information websites and users’ credibility perception on the Interface dimensions; users’ habits of use, sharing and communication were also considered in this analysis. Our results show the influence of the Interface, as well as of each of its dimensions (Visual, Information Architecture, Interaction, Social Presence and User Experience) and its components in trust and credibility. They also allowed us to propose a set of design principles that were validated by experts (through the Delphi method) and crossed with the results that we obtained from the Survey and the sessions with Eye Tracking. As a final result, we present a proposal for e-Health credibility and trust design principles, which we believe will allow institutions to strengthen their communication skills and users to increase their autonomy in eHealth online decision-making processes.